S01.E12: A Computer, a Plastic Pony and a Case of Beer

[Mystery]

7 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Mary is far too over-indulgent of Sheldon.

This is the first episode where I got a glimpse of the Sheldon who makes everyone ride the train to northern California when three of them would rather fly. Now I just need a show about the childhoods of the other three, that make them give in. 

I felt sorry for Georgie, with no lunch. I like the actor very much; I thought he tread a fine line this week between being the ignored child I felt sorry for and the kind of swaggering person he'll become. His acting in the scene where he brought himself a can of pineapple spears for lunch, but no can opener, did it for me. 

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, CherryAmes said:

I'm just not around teens much right now - mainly hanging out with the toddler set - and to me Georgie looks about 11 or 12.  I know the actor actually is 14 so it's not like they are having a younger kid play someone older.  Anyway when I see Georgie I'm not thinking teenager!

Mr. Chat has told me that when he was a teenager, he wanted nothing to do with his 2 sisters (one is five years younger, the other 10 years younger than him.)  They were both a pain in the butt (according to him!) Georgie's focus right now is on hot chicks.  "Not now Sheldon, I'm getting ready to score!"  

[jumper sage]

23 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Maybe he can drop by BBT in ghost form like Jedi Proton.

I don't care if he already played another character, this actor is great at playing Sheldon's dad.  I say we make your comment happen!

Another great episode.  I love this show.

[babyhouseman]

35 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

I don't care if he already played another character,

Old sitcoms were always using one actor for different characters. Jeffrey Tambor played three characters on Three's Company. 

[Browncoat]

Also, on MASH, Harry Morgan played the batshit crazy General for one episode before returning as Colonel Potter.

[Katy M]

23 hours ago, Mystery said:

I felt sorry for Georgie, with no lunch. I like the actor very much; I thought he tread a fine line this week between being the ignored child I felt sorry for and the kind of swaggering person he'll become. His acting in the scene where he brought himself a can of pineapple spears for lunch, but no can opener, did it for me. 

I really can't figure out why Georgie didn't take Sheldon's lunch.  It's sort of Sheldon's fault that he didn't get any.  He's bigger than Sheldon.  And, we know that he's not against lying and cheating, so why not stealing his younger brother's lunch.

And, it was funny, but I don't think "Eliza" would have asked Georgie if she was hot in his fantasies?  I think she would have said something about temperature, or not feeling physical sensations.  Also, doesn't seem like something that would have been pre-loaded onto a 1989 or 90 PC.

[AnnaRose]

26 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I really can't figure out why Georgie didn't take Sheldon's lunch.  It's sort of Sheldon's fault that he didn't get any.  He's bigger than Sheldon.  And, we know that he's not against lying and cheating, so why not stealing his younger brother's lunch.

And, it was funny, but I don't think "Eliza" would have asked Georgie if she was hot in his fantasies?  I think she would have said something about temperature, or not feeling physical sensations.  Also, doesn't seem like something that would have been pre-loaded onto a 1989 or 90 PC.

I was glad Georgie didn't steal Sheldon's lunch. I like that he is overall a decent person in many ways, and even brought them home from that party several episodes back.

I did enjoy their little exchange in this episode:

Georgie: "I hope you're happy!"

Sheldon: "Why thank you Georgie.  That's very kind of you."  (Not sure if those are the exact words.)

Young Sheldon is so literal and completely misses sarcasm.  I wonder if grown-up Sheldon would have picked up on the intent?

Also cute - Georgie:  "I don't even have a can opener!!"

I didn't think Eliza would say that fantasy thing either... but you never know what the programmers were anticipating... considering some of the modern day "Elizas" even tell jokes if you ask them.

[Katy M]

47 minutes ago, AnnaRose said:

I was glad Georgie didn't steal Sheldon's lunch. I like that he is overall a decent person in many ways, and even brought them home from that party several episodes back.

Well, I don't know how much decency had to do with bringing them home from the party.  He didn't want his baby siblings at his high school party.  A better example would be his taking them to the hospital when their dad had the heart attack.

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

I really can't figure out why Georgie didn't take Sheldon's lunch.

Just imagine Mary's reaction if Georgie had taken Sheldon's lunch.  And you know she would have found out.

[BlossomCulp]

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

I really can't figure out why Georgie didn't take Sheldon's lunch. 

What I can't figure out is why he couldn't have made himself a peanut butter sandwich and grabbed a few cookies.  This was the day after Mary had moved  out it's ridiculous to believe the cupboard was bare.  And my sympathy for a 14 yr old who can't make his own lunch is hugely limited!

[Chit Chat]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

I felt sorry for Georgie, with no lunch. I like the actor very much; I thought he tread a fine line this week between being the ignored child I felt sorry for and the kind of swaggering person he'll become.

Georgie smirked each time he said something that irritated one of his parents, so I think a part of him is enjoying their occasional comment of "shut up, Georgie!"  He knows he got under their skin.  

[rmontro]

"A computer, a plastic pony, and a case of beer".  Is there a reason why the title of every episode is a list of three things?

[OtterMommy]

5 minutes ago, rmontro said:

"A computer, a plastic pony, and a case of beer".  Is there a reason why the title of every episode is a list of three things?

Because that's it's thing...like how the titles on TBBT all sound like scientific theories or how all the titles of Friends episodes were "The One with...."

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, rmontro said:

A computer, a plastic pony, and a case of beer".  Is there a reason why the title of every episode is a list of three things?

It was mentioned back in episode one by another poster, and we think it's because when future Sheldon knocks on someone's door, it's in threes:  knock, knock, knock, Penny; knock, knock, knock, Penny; knock, knock, knock Penny.  I don't want to spoil anything, but he starts that after an embarrassing moment when he opened the door on somebody in his youth by either not knocking on the door, or only doing it once.  Since then he does it in three's to give the person on the other side of the door time to get decent.  Somebody correct me if I'm remembering this wrong!!  

[BlossomCulp]

14 hours ago, ChitChat said:

Georgie smirked each time he said something that irritated one of his parents, so I think a part of him is enjoying their occasional comment of "shut up, Georgie!"  He knows he got under their skin.  

I think they're doing a really good job conveying that Georgie is a brat.  He's a self involved teenager, not too bright and he likes to push people's buttons.  I think too when we see the adults reacting to Georgie we need to remember they've had 14 years of dealing with this kid.  There's no reason to believe he was a little angel until Sheldon came along. I don't really buy that he's acting out because Sheldon gets all the attention,  Twins coming along when he was already around 4 or 5 would have put his nose out of joint, didn't need a genius little brother for that!  But Sheldon being Sheldon didn't make Georgie dumb as soup and it didn't give him the attitude.  I think they're showing us that Georgie is pretty much a chip off the old block where George is concerned.

[Jacks-Son]

20 hours ago, AnnaRose said:

Young Sheldon is so literal and completely misses sarcasm.  I wonder if grown-up Sheldon would have picked up on the intent?

 

I'm one of those people who watches TBBT and NO, grown-up Sheldon is still trying to figure out sarcasm and would not have been able to easily pick up intent. He currently asks the person if that was sarcasm.

[CherryAmes]

On 1/20/2018 at 4:07 PM, Katy M said:

I really can't figure out why Georgie didn't take Sheldon's lunch. It's sort of Sheldon's fault that he didn't get any.

It absolutely is not!  Sheldon asked for a computer - kids ask for things all the time.  It was the way the adults in the family chose to deal with that request that caused the problem.  And most of the fault lay squarely with George IMO.  He was being stubborn for the sheer sake of being stubborn.  

8 hours ago, BlossomCulp said:

I think they're showing us that Georgie is pretty much a chip off the old block where George is concerned.

That's one the things I am really liking about this show.  They've had to soften Sheldon's childhood a bit and George isn't coming across quite as badly as he was often portrayed in discussions of him on BBT but I really like that they haven't turned him into the stereotypical sitcom Dad.  George has a lot of faults and we can see the writing on the wall for what we know is going to happen next.

On 1/19/2018 at 5:23 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

While it may have made sense to leave him home with his father, she didn't appear to call him, check on him or worry about him.  After all, she could have easily made a 3rd lunch and sent it to school for him with Sheldon.

She didn't exactly leave a baby home alone here - he chose to stay home with his father and it was only the next day that he went to school without a lunch.  The fault there lies on George's shoulders not Marys!  George should have either made the kid a lunch or made sure he made his own.  That he didn't is hardly Mary's fault!  She left an adult and a 14 yr old home.  Maybe she should have known they couldn't do anything for themselves but even so it's not her job to hold their hand through every move they make!

Edited January 21, 2018 by CherryAmes

[AnnaRose]

59 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

I'm one of those people who watches TBBT and NO, grown-up Sheldon is still trying to figure out sarcasm and would not have been able to easily pick up intent. He currently asks the person if that was sarcasm.

True.  But he has gotten better at occasionally recognizing it.  And that may be a phrase that he knows by now usually isn't the other person actually wanting him to be happy.

[Katy M]

38 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

It absolutely is not!  Sheldon asked for a computer - kids ask for things all the time.  It was the way the adults in the family chose to deal with that request that caused the problem.  And most of the fault lay squarely with George IMO.  He was being stubborn for the sheer sake of being stubborn.  

I meant from Georgie's point of view since he said straight up it was Sheldon's fault.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

45 minutes ago, CherryAmes said:

On 1/19/2018 at 6:23 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

While it may have made sense to leave him home with his father, she didn't appear to call him, check on him or worry about him.  After all, she could have easily made a 3rd lunch and sent it to school for him with Sheldon.

She didn't exactly leave a baby home alone here - he chose to stay home with his father and it was only the next day that he went to school without a lunch.  The fault there lies on George's shoulders not Marys!  George should have either made the kid a lunch or made sure he made his own.  That he didn't is hardly Mary's fault!  She left an adult and a 14 yr old home.  Maybe she should have known they couldn't do anything for themselves but even so it's not her job to hold their hand through every move they make!

I think what I really meant was that Mary didn't seem to miss Georgie. She is clearly very attached to the younger two, which one could attribute to their relative youth, but doesn't seem very attached to Georgie. Now, he is in his teenage years when a child may be most difficult to like, but he is her firstborn and the show never lets us see her displaying any affection for him.

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, ChitChat said:

It was mentioned back in episode one by another poster, and we think it's because when future Sheldon knocks on someone's door, it's in threes:  knock, knock, knock, Penny; knock, knock, knock, Penny; knock, knock, knock Penny.  I don't want to spoil anything, but he starts that after an embarrassing moment when he opened the door on somebody in his youth by either not knocking on the door, or only doing it once.  Since then he does it in three's to give the person on the other side of the door time to get decent.  Somebody correct me if I'm remembering this wrong!!  

That sounds familiar to me too.  Good answer, I hadn't thought about the knock, knock, knock bit, I bet you're right.

[TV Diva Queen]

On 1/19/2018 at 9:04 PM, babyhouseman said:

Old sitcoms were always using one actor for different characters. Jeffrey Tambor played three characters on Three's Company. 

RIght?  On the Lucy shows, they all played a million characters.  LOL  

Edited January 22, 2018 by TV Diva Queen

[Quark]

Not the funniest episode, but still pretty good. 

I still love this show.

[John Potts]

On ‎19‎/‎01‎/‎2018 at 12:57 PM, ChitChat said:

I loved seeing MeeMaw at the end of the show trying to figure out what the mouse was for.  "Hello?"  "Hello" as she holds it up to her ear! 

I was wondering if that wasn't a homage to Star Trek IV, when Scotty talks into the mouse (before inventing the transparent Aluminium they needed to get home).

[MaryMitch]

20 hours ago, John Potts said:

I was wondering if that wasn't a homage to Star Trek IV, when Scotty talks into the mouse (before inventing the transparent Aluminium they needed to get home).

I remember when we first rolled out PCs at work, and we had a training session to show people how to use them. Most of them had no idea how to use a mouse; I had one who pointed it at the screen like she was holding a TV remote.  We left the games on the PCs because playing them encouraged people to get familiar with the mouse.

[CherryAmes]

We are moving to a generation who won't know how to use a mouse again.  My grandchildren keep swiping at my computer screen when they want something to change.  They have no idea what the mouse is for and are stymied because my laptop is not a touch screen.

[SmithW6079]

On 1/20/2018 at 6:40 PM, Browncoat said:

Just imagine Mary's reaction if Georgie had taken Sheldon's lunch.  And you know she would have found out.

Of course she would have. Because Sheldon would have tattled on Georgie.

[BlossomCulp]

6 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Of course she would have. Because Sheldon would have tattled on Georgie.

He would have told Mary but I don't know if Sheldon would have seen it as tattling.  He's pretty literal.  He reports on things that happen.  If someone else gets in trouble that's not something he'd think about at the time.  I do like a lot that even though Georgie isn't being portrayed as the nicest kid in the room he's also not the type of kid who would have taken his little brother's lunch!